


Nightmares

by gdiscb



Series: Strawberries & Flower Pins [1]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Cunnilingus, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fingerfucking, Nightmares, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 18:54:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29373420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gdiscb/pseuds/gdiscb
Summary: Fear fuels the flame that breeds despair within one's heart, if they allow it to consume them and snuff out the very existence they built for themselves. But fear can also be consumed by tenderness and comfort, especially if those come from one who has gone through those same experiences as you.Worry not my love, be at ease tonight and rest peacefully. Breathe, you are safe.
Relationships: Inoue Orihime/Kurosaki Ichigo
Series: Strawberries & Flower Pins [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2157669
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> this is basically an excuse for me to write out future comics, so please help yourselves to the written works in this series until i am able to bring them to life via imagery!
> 
> enjoy!
> 
> ʕ • ᴥ • ʔb

_Running._

_She’s always running, always in the same direction, always behind him._

_It never changes, no matter how hard she tries or how fast she goes. She throws her hands up, a bright and strong shield forms merely seconds before he even says her name._

_She knows what she has to do, it’s always the same, she knows that they do eventually stop this monster, this creature, this nightmare from actually happening._

_And yet, she knows that this isn’t real, that this is the true nightmare. Because in this world, they don’t win. They don’t survive. He doesn’t survive._

_She doesn’t know how to stop it from happening, even though it’s always the same in this world. She tries to warn him, tries to outsmart this beast of a former man, tries to wake up._

_But in the end, she always fails. She fails all of them. Past. Present. Future._

_There’s no end, no beginning._

_Her screams can’t be heard, her tears can’t be seen, her heart can’t be felt._

_Everything shatters before her eyes, and that thing just smiles. Always smiling, continuing to grow. It’s grotesque, she tries to look away each time but alas her eyes are trapped in fear and defeat._

_And she always has to watch him sink to his knees, never facing her. But this time, she finally hears them. Finally hears what she was too afraid to listen to._

**_It’s your fault. He’s dead. They’re dead. You’re weak. You’re pathetic. You couldn’t save them. Why are you still here. Why are you breathing. You killed your brother. You killed your friends. You killed him._ **

**_You killed me mama. You killed our son._ **

  
  
  


She lunges forward, her scream of terror dying on her lips once she realizes that she’s awake. Her body is drenched in a cold sweat, but she feels warm, too warm, almost unbearably hot. Her mind slowly puts two and two together that she’s being held tightly by a pair of strong arms, arms that have always brought her comfort. Tears come pouring out at the same time she feels her stomach retaliate violently and flings herself out of the safety of those arms, _his arms_ , before making a mad dash to their bathroom.

Ripping open the door, she stumbles before flipping up the toilet lid and wretches her entire being into the bowl. She doesn’t care if her hair gets in the way or the possibility of vomit winding up on her clothes. At this point she doesn’t want to think of anything, her sobs of agony and despair mixing together with her heaving.

She realizes that she isn’t alone, a soft caress on the back of her neck as her hair is swept out of the way and a damp towel rests lightly there to absorb the sweat that won’t stop pouring out of her skin.

He doesn’t complain about the mess she’s making, how she ruined his night of rest after a tiring day at work and later a few hollow calls, doesn’t push her away or abandon her. His silent support speaks volumes to her in just his actions alone. And eventually, her stomach calms down to nothing after a few more dry heaves that leave her breathing somewhat steady.

“Hime.”

She flinches, shutting her eyes tightly in defiance of looking at him. Her heart breaks, hearing the cracked undertones of pain laced with concern and knowing she is the cause.

She raises her hand to her face, biting down on her knuckles to prevent a sob from escaping but fails still when a pitiful wail whimpers out of her.

“Which one was it?”

She shakes her head, still refusing to look at him and see the pain she can clearly hear in his voice. It tears at her, the fact that she is causing this agony to him and all she can do is sit there and weep. Truly pitiful. Pathetic.

“Hime please, don’t shut me out. Let me help you.”

Her teeth clench harder on her knuckles, eyes squeezed shut to prevent any temptation.

“ _Please,_ Hime. Baby, I’m begging you, don’t do this to yourself.”

She loses her determination the moment she feels him embrace her from behind, his head resting between her shoulder blades and his arms tightly wrapped around the front of her. Her sobs escape her again, but this time she doesn’t fight it. She feels his right hand snake up to press against her heart and she grips that same hand in a desperate attempt to keep him close.

As her body wracks with broken sobs, she can feel his heavy shudders behind her, indicating that he was crying as well with her. She knew he must be terrified, not knowing which nightmare caused this much of a reaction out of her.

Finally, after what feels like hours, she quiets down with strained hiccups and breathing until she is able to control both. Her body aches and shivers from her cold sweat finally cooling off on her skin, feeling the after effects of clamminess. His crying seems to have also come to a stop, breathing more regulated and calm.

It seemed the longer they are together, the more in-sync their bodies are. If one is joyous, the other feels it seep into their veins as well as if they were one soul instead of two separate entities. And the same applied if one was in immense pain, the connection between the two thick like a suffocating liquid waiting to drown them into nothingness. It was as if their spiritual pressure was always reactive of the other, no matter the distance.

“Feeling better?”

His voice soothed her, like a warm blanket that she could cocoon herself in to block out all the negative feelings and emotions she experienced. He never loosened his hold on her, keeping her safely tucked within his grasp. She squeezed his hand that she still held onto, not wanting to break her life-line while feeling so weak and fragile.

He hummed in response, probably grateful she was responding to him instead of trying shut him out again. She could feel as well as hear his next question through her chest with his head still resting on her back.

“Which one was it Hime?”

His voice was low, quiet, as if afraid he would set her off in a panicked frenzy again with no hope to soothe her. Her heart picked up a little in a reactive response, but she held herself steady as she softly recounted what she could remember from her nightmare.

He never interrupted her, letting her speak and only held on tighter when she stumbled over difficult descriptions for encouragement and support. When she finished repeating what she could, he slowly loosened his hold on her and started backing away from her.

In her panic-state of mind, Orihime turned around in fear of him abandoning her after she admitted that it was her fault that everyone died, including him and their son. However, she realized her panic wasn’t necessary as Ichigo was simply re-wetting the towel he placed on her neck and used it to help clean off the remaining sweat on her skin. She sat there, letting him administer care to her that held nothing but love and gentleness in his touch.

Once he was done wiping her off, he grabbed her hand to pull her up to her feet and handed her a prepared tooth-brush while he brushed out her sweat-tangled hair. She knew he was doing all this to help calm her mind, letting her focus on menial tasks in a way to clear out those dark and tainted thoughts that still lingered after such an intense nightmare.

As she ran the bristles in her mouth to rid herself of the taste and feel of her stomach’s contents, she could feel his fingers softly brush through her hair and began braiding it. It always amazed her how well he could style her hair, even though he would brush it off as nothing and remind her that he had two kid sisters that needed his help every now and then.

When she was finished with her task, he tied off the end of the braid with a hair-tie and moved it to the side, lowering his face to kiss her now bare neck. Her eyes never left his figure, watching every movement through the mirror hanging on the wall as his lips trailed feathery touches across her sensitive skin. His eyes glanced up to catch hers, reading every emotion that passed through her face with no filter, nothing to hide what she was truly feeling from him. In the end, she never could hide anything from him and realized she never wanted to anyways.

She glanced at the corner of the mirror, watching his hand rise to trail lovingly up and down her arms only to cause a slight shiver to course through her spine. She would never understand how she ever got so lucky to have the love and adoration of this man that she gave her heart away to long ago, but never would Orihime ever doubt in his feelings for her or the bond they shared.

“Think you can move? Or do you still need a moment?”

His voice was still soft, so soft and sweet, and she could only nod towards their reflection. He placed one more kiss between the crook of her neck and shoulder before backing away, only to turn her around in his embrace.

“Let me show you something.”

He grabbed for her hand, pulling her with him as they walked out of the bathroom and down the hall towards another bedroom. She knew instantly what he was trying to do, and it only made her heart swell with even more love for him. Once they reached the door, he gently pushed it open to reveal the small toddler still sound asleep in his bed, loosely holding onto Kon who was also asleep in the child’s embrace.

“He’s alright Hime, _we’re_ alright. We’re still here, as a family. Together. You didn’t lose me or him, nor will you ever lose us. If it weren’t for you, none of this would be here now.”

Ichigo whispered against her hair, the both of them still looking into the room, as she felt tears stinging at the corners of her eyes yet again. But no longer did she feel sobs trying to claw their way out of her chest, as it was more of a thankful feeling pouring out of her. Her hand tightened its hold on his, conveying her thanks and appreciation for his actions of comfort. Not wanting to possibly awake their son, the two backed out of the doorway and quietly closed it back shut, heading back towards their bedroom.

She walked to the middle of their room, standing with her back facing him as she heard Ichigo close their door to the outside world as well and waited. Not knowing _what_ she was waiting for, but it felt right and she was a patient being. He came around, turning towards her as he reached for her face to look up at him. Orihime faintly smiled at the fact that over the years he grew taller as she had to nearly lean her head all the way back just to look him directly in the eyes. Her loose braid that he lovingly made slid from the side of her neck to rest against her back as he cupped her face and leaned down to brush his lips against her brow. A shudder escaped wearily past her lips as she let her eyes close to the sensation, her hands loosely groped for the front of his tight t-shirt and feeling his firm figure underneath her touch.

He was steady, solid as a rock and never wavering when her world was tossed like a storm in the ocean. She could feel one of his hands move from her cheek to rest against the juncture of her neck and jaw, his thumb pressing slightly into her skin to grab her attention. Orihime knew that Ichigo always struggled to find the right words to say, even though she felt his words were right no matter the occasion. But his actions were always the loudest and truest to his feelings, always honest and unyielding.

She released a sigh of pleasure when she felt the other hand slide down the side of her body and snake around to her lower back to press her forward against him. They could both feel the effects of arousal and calmness wash over them, feeding off the other through their spiritual pressure. His lips trailed from her brow down the side of her face to press against her neck, lightly suckling at the pressure point. Orihime whimpered in response, letting go of any thought to allow only sensation to run through her mind, just to to focus on his caresses dancing across her skin.

She knew he was only thinking of her well-being, putting her needs first before even considering his own. Not once had he ever taken advantage of her during her periods of distress, but offered bountiful support through physical actions as he knew how to do best. Yet she was so focused on these thoughts that she missed when his hand moved from the small of her back to brush against her sex through the front of her yoga pants that she preferred wearing to bed. He _always_ enjoyed her putting on those skin-tight bottoms every night, especially since she never wore them in front of anyone else.

And now, the same bottoms made it easier for him to touch her without removing any clothing and for her to feel every intentional stroke of his fingers to the point that she was gradually soaking through the fabric. He hummed his approval of her body’s reaction, lips still attached to the side of her throat, and gently herded her back towards their bed until the back of her knees bumped against the mattress.

“Hime, lie down for me.”

Ichigo’s voice never rose above a low murmur but the tone brooked no arguments from her. She smoothed her hands over his shirt, brushing away imaginary wrinkles and sat down before laying on her back. Her eyes never left his, as she continued to watch his every move when he climbed over her figure to continue laving his mouth and tongue over her skin while his hands lowered to her waistband. She could feel his warm fingers slip under the elastic band and pull it down past her waist, down, down, down it went until he completely removed them from her legs.

His lips left her as he focused on his task, giving her a reprieve from his attention to let her watch him. Once she was bare from her hips down, he came back up to lift the bottom of her sweatshirt up over her arms and head. Even though she was completely exposed to his hungry and loving gaze while he was still clothed, she couldn’t refuse his wishes nor fault him. A soft smile graced her lips as she recalled him telling her once that the temptation of having his way with her was significantly lowered if he left his clothing on, even if she had nothing. He must have caught on, returning a similar look in his eyes as he gazed upon her.

“Tempting, but this is about _you._ ”

And as if to reinforce his statement, he slid his fingers between the folds of her sex, gathering up the moisture that never left from his previous ministrations, all the while never letting his gaze stray from her face. Her breathing picked up in speed, slight pants from just how _good_ it felt to have him touch her so intimately and could feel the heat flow from her cheeks down her neck.

A soft moan broke through once his middle and ring fingers penetrated through the soft and heated flesh, increasing in tempo according to the speed of his thrusts. She bit down on her lower lip to prevent herself from getting louder when he pressed his thumb right against her clit, tossing her head to the side and shoving a few knuckles into her mouth when her lip would no longer hold back those moans he was trying to work out of her.

“I wanna hear you, Hime. Reassure me that you’re here and alive as I am for you.”

His breath hovered over where his fingers still kept pushing into her, hot and heavy over her damp curls and soaked thighs that were slightly shivering from the intensity of his affections. Orihime jumped, letting a sharp wail escape her, when she felt him suck on her clit immediately as opposed to his usual method of lapping at her folds like a starved animal. His fingers didn’t slow down, didn’t stop, they only increased in pressure and numbers as he added his pointer finger with the other two and continued shoving them in and out of her sopping center.

She knew the sheets underneath them had to be drenched in her slick, but she couldn’t care as all she had on her mind was the attention he was focusing on her. Her fingers reached out for his free hand, desperately trying to anchor herself, and gripped hard when he grasped for her, understanding what she needed. He always understood what she needed from him.

“Ichigo, Ichigo _please._ ”

Her eyes were tightly shut, as if to block out all other distractions to her sensations but she could feel his gaze holding her down. His smile could be felt against her buzzing nerves and with a final suck that she could compare to having the wind knocked out of her, she finally came with such an intensity it brought tears to her eyes along with a sob of pleasure.

He let her ride her pleasure out, slowing down the intensity of his fingers until he could tell she was finally down from her high. He brought his fingers from her quivering body to his lips, licking her essence off like it was a sweet treat he couldn’t wait to savor. Orihime shivered as she watched him, feeling a heated flush race across her skin as he hummed his appreciation of her taste, and reached out for his thigh that was resting on the outside of her legs.

“What about you? You took care of me but what about you?”

Ichigo paused from his ministrations, eyes wide in surprise from her question. He glanced to the side, not wanting to directly look her in the face as he mumbled a quiet _don’t worry about it_ , almost as if he was embarrassed.

Pushing herself up on her elbows, Orihime leaned forward to press herself against his solid form, kissing his neck while lowering her hand to cup him only to pause in silent surprise. Peeking down, she realized that his sweatpants were damp and sticky as it quickly dawned on her that he must have cum at the same time as her without having anything done to him. Glancing back up at him, she noticed he was looking at her again with a bright flush across his face and tips of his ears.

“Told you not to worry about it.”

His lips brushed across her brow as he whispered his response quietly to her, smiling as she let out a breath of a laugh to his smart-aleck remark. She quietly promised herself that next time, she would take care of his needs so that they were both fully satiated.

Taking a breath Orihime laid back down against the mattress, pulling his hand to encourage him to lay with her. He smiled, kissing her knuckles before swinging his legs over the bed to stand up. Without saying a word, he hooked one thumb under his waistband to indicate his intentions of changing clothes and smiled when she giggled in response. Ichigo only then released her hand once she gave a nod of approval, walking to their closet as she rolled over onto her side facing the window away from him.

She knew she should probably at least put on her sweatshirt just in case Kazui decided to wander in their room in the middle of the night, but couldn’t command her body to move an inch. At the thought of their son sound asleep and safe in his bed, she shut her eyes to force away the whispers of her earlier nightmare, clenching the sheets to ground herself that _this_ was real and everything was alright. Orihime let out a tense sigh that she didn’t realize she was holding onto when she felt the bed dip behind her and Ichigo’s arm wrap around her middle to pull her in close against him.

“Breathe Hime, you’re safe. We’re all safe.”

And just like that, all the turmoil that was still twisting in her heart died away like the remnants of her nightmare with just his warm voice and steady words. She brought his hand up to her lips, kissing his ring finger, and lowered it to rest against her heart while intertwining their fingers together.

Tonight, she would fall back asleep to dreams of running. But no longer was she running towards danger and death.

She was running home, to her family, her future.

Running.

She’s always running, running in the same direction, always beside them.


End file.
